Getting around

While others act on transit, city and state officials talk and the CTA waits

By Jon Hilkevitch Tribune transportation reporter

November 10, 2008|By Jon Hilkevitch

Chicago officials talk -- and so far it's mostly a lot of talk -- about the need to shape up the CTA in time for the city to possibly host the 2016 Olympics.

On the state level, elected officials who repeatedly shirked their responsibility to replace crumbling transportation infrastructure in Illinois are now talking, too -- perhaps over-optimistically -- that the Barack Obama presidency will do much of the heavy lifting.

FOR THE RECORD - The graphic accompanying this story contains corrected material.

But elsewhere, most notably on the West Coast, action in the voting booth once again has spoken louder than hollow words.

Los Angeles County residents frustrated by gridlock in the most-congested U.S. city voted Tuesday for a half-cent sales-tax increase to finance new bus and rail lines and other transportation improvements.

The package is projected to cost $40 billion over 30 years. But the business plan for the 800-mile network of trains forecasts that more than $1 billion in surplus revenue will be generated annually by 2030 and a triple return on investment will be realized over 40 years.

Statewide, meanwhile, Californians approved construction of a 220 m.p.h. electric passenger train system linking San Francisco to Los Angeles and other major cities on the route.

The project, backed by $10 billion in bonds and still needing federal matching grants and private-sector participation, would be the biggest move yet toward introducing true high-speed rail service in America, breaking from the traditional focus of expanding highways.

In addition, the California rail project could serve as a model for a proposed Midwest network of faster trains serving Chicago and reaching out to cities in nine states.

Once again, no transportation referendum proposals were on the ballot last week in northeastern Illinois, which ranks second nationally behind Los Angeles for congestion. Limited provisions exist in Illinois for placing questions on the ballot.

In addition, there are no signs of breaking the political gridlock in Springfield that has blocked a new state capital spending plan to rebuild aging infrastructure.

Nationwide there are more than 550 transit projects valued at $8 billion that are "ready to go" as soon as funding is made available, according to the American Public Transportation Association.

The list includes projects in the Chicago area, such as track improvements on CTA rail lines and the purchase of more buses to replacing aging vehicles that have logged more than a half-million miles.

"The track renewal projects are new projects that build on the projects already under way or completed," said CTA spokeswoman Noelle Gaffney, referring to sections of the Dearborn subway on the Blue Line and the Dan Ryan branch of the Red Line.

The list doesn't even begin to address longer-term projects including the CTA Circle Line; proposed extensions of the Red, Orange and Yellow Lines; or Metra's proposed suburb-to-suburb STAR Line.

Transit officials are hoping to receive start-up money for those projects in the next federal transportation bill that Congress is scheduled to pass next year. Until federal or state action occurs, the Illinois projects will remain in limbo.

Meanwhile, in the Seattle area last week, voters said "yes" to expanding commuter rail and express bus service and creating a 55-mile light rail system, costing $17.8 billion over 20 years.

Voters in Honolulu, where the road to paradise is mired in traffic jams, approved a rail system.

Residents in Youngstown, Ohio, passed a funding increase to save the Western Reserve Transit Authority from shutting down.

In total, voters in 16 states approved 23 measures out of 32 state and local public transit-related ballot initiatives, authorizing expenditures of about $75 billion, according to the American Public Transportation Association, which represents the interests of public transit agencies.

"It is significant to note that in a time of economic uncertainty, more than 70 percent of transit-related ballot measures passed," said William Millar, association president.

Chicago and Illinois officials who might be expecting federal funds to automatically flow back to Obama's home turf may be in for a rude surprise if a local funding commitment isn't shown, some experts say.

"We have to show here in Illinois that we are serious about investing in our transportation infrastructure before we can convince lawmakers in Congress and the new administration in Washington that they should invest in Illinois," said Brian Imus, director of the Illinois Public Interest Research Group.

Congress will decide next year how to spend transportation dollars over the next six years. The action at the polls in California and other states on Election Day demonstrates public support for investment to solve problems and create new jobs.

"We are seeing that people are starting to realize the value of investing in infrastructure as a way to stimulate the economy," Imus said. "Here in the Midwest, we can make the case that if we are doing a bailout for Wall Street, we can invest in viable local projects that have huge benefits for the regional economy as well as the environment."